My First Steps: Listening and Learning
Daniel Abebe, Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, shares a message to the community on his first day at Columbia Law School.
Dear members of the Columbia Law School community,
It is a pleasure and honor to write you on my first day as your Dean. Now that I have relocated from Chicago to New York, I feel a palpable sense of excitement about all that we will accomplish together in the coming year. In a matter of weeks, the fall semester will begin—we will welcome new classes of J.D. and LL.M. students; reopen Jerome Greene Hall; and prepare syllabi, classrooms, and programs to facilitate the outstanding teaching, learning, and scholarship that are core to the mission of this great law school that I feel so privileged to join.
Before the academic year commences, I thought it would be helpful to share what I see as my first key steps as Dean: listening and learning. Over the coming months, I plan to devote a significant portion of my time and effort to meeting with, and inviting dialogue among, members of our community. By opening pathways for students, faculty, staff, and alumni to offer their thoughts and ideas, my aim is to acquire a broad and deep understanding of Columbia Law School. I want to hear about what makes CLS distinctive, and I want to know about what we can do better as a community. I want to get a sense of your values and ambitions for our future. And, perhaps most importantly, I want to know how I can best support you.
Some of this important listening and learning started earlier in the summer, and I am grateful for your willingness to welcome me and support my transition into the CLS community. In the coming weeks, I will embark on an extensive schedule of introductory meetings, and I look forward to continuing those conversations into the fall semester and throughout the year. Although it will take time, please know that I am committed to getting to know you, and to providing meaningful opportunities for us to engage with one another. Ultimately, I hope these listening and learning efforts will help shape a set of ideas and priorities that will, in turn, form the foundation of a compelling, collective vision for CLS that we can work together to achieve in the years ahead.
Thank you for your support and consideration as I take up my new role. I am excited about all that we will achieve together. I look forward to meeting and working with you in the year ahead, and will be in touch in early September.
Best regards,
Daniel Abebe
Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law